DAKSHIN Initiative:  Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated 'DAKSHIN', a global centre for excellence for the Global South countries. The latest addition to India's led global initiatives came during his opening address at the Second 'Voice of Global South' Summit (VOGSS), which is taking place virtually. The proposal to set up this institution was put forward by PM in the first VOGSS, organised in January 2023.

"I had proposed setting up a Global South Centre of Excellence for the Global South at the first Voice of Global South Summit. I am happy that the Dakshin Development and Knowledge Sharing Initiative Global South Centre for Excellence is being inaugurated today," PM said while addressing the virtual gathering of global south leaders.

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Apprising them of the ambitious plans that Dakshin aims to achieve, PM Modi said that a joint satellite will be launched for remote sensing purposes.

"During the G20 Summit, I on behalf of India proposed to launch a satellite for monitoring weather and climate monitoring for Global South. We are working on it at a fast pace," PM Modi said.

Highlighting the significance of the Global South, Prime Minister Modi said that while it has always been a geographical reality, it is now gaining a voice for the first time through collective efforts.

"Geographically, the Global South has always existed, but it is getting a voice for the first time, and this is because of the joint efforts. We are more than 100 countries but our priorities are similar," he said.

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"India believes that new technology should not widen the gap between the Global North and the Global South. During the times of artificial intelligence, technology must be used responsibly. To further promote this, India will next month organise the AI Global Partnership Summit," the Prime Minister said.

What is DAKSHIN?
DAKSHIN, abbreviated for Dakshin Development and Knowledge Sharing Initiative is a collaborative effort of more than 120 global southern countries which are looking to strengthen South-South cooperation in developmental policy, knowledge sharing and collaborative efforts to mitigate their unique challenges.